The sport of swimming is considered one of the most beneficial cardiovascular activities available for those interested in gaining cardiovascular support and development. Swimming is easy on the joints and provides low resistance and friction to the body of the individual involved. However, the majority of recreational swimmers do not have the power and dexterity in their large lower extremities to power their way through water at an efficient rate.
Swim flippers and/or swim fins take a considerable amount of the increased load and/or force required by the individual to induce fluidity through the water. However, certain types of swimming fins and/or flippers may add more resistance during use. Moreover, certain swim flippers and/or fins may create additional physical strain and an even more intense workout without greater fitness benefits. Moreover, certain flippers may make the production of thrust in water even more difficult.
It is known that different types of swimming flippers exist for different types of use. Scuba divers have special flippers for use in combination with self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Snorkeling fins are used in conjunction with snorkel gear for a specific use. Typically the flippers for scuba divers have a fin blade which is shaped so as to give adequate thrust for the weight to be moved. Different models of swim flippers have very different rigidities of fin blades depending on the amount of power which the diver is capable of developing with his/her legs and in the sea conditions in which the diver finds himself/herself.
The design and complexity of a swimming fin is usually dictated by the swimming ability and experience of the user. Various models of flipper differ from one another in shape, size and materials of the fin blade and in general in the flipper as a whole. Most fin blades of the swim flipper have considerable rigidity and the shoe for the foot is made of a different material than the material that makes up the blade of the swim flipper. Typically the shoe and the fin are permanently affixed together or are formed as a singular piece.
A problem with the standard type swim fin and/or flipper is that because of the rigidity of the blade of the flipper, it requires considerable effort by the user to produce adequate thrust to propel the individual through water.
Yet another problem exists because the typical swim fin and/or flipper has a rigid blade portion which puts an increased amount of pressure on the biomechanical movement of an individual. More specifically, the typical swim fin that has a rigid blade forces the user to hyper-extend their ankles to provide adequate thrust to propel their weight in a forward motion.
What is needed is a swim flipper that has a joint portion thereon to allow for increased flexibility of the swim flipper.
Further, a need therefore exists for a swim flipper having a joint system on the blade portion of the flipper that may be covered with a flexible material that may allow for increased flexion about the joint area. The increased flexion of the swim flipper may allow the individual to produce more thrust without as much physical effort.
Moreover, a need exists for a swim flipper that may have a joint system that may be a stretch joint with memory for increased thrust and snap as the kick ends.